How to Unblock My eBay Account

by Cristina Puno

There are various reasons why a particular eBay account becomes blocked. For accounts marked as "Suspended," common reasons include a suspected account takeover or limiting the account due to repeated policy violations. There are instances however, that an account may not be in a "Suspended" status, but due to certain a restriction that a seller has made, bids or purchases from buyers are shown as "Blocked." Depending on the reason why an account was blocked, account owners can take active steps to recover their accounts or unblock them.

Account Suspended Due to an Account Takover

Go to the eBay website and click on "Help."

Click on the "Contact Us" button.

Click on the link "I think someone used my account."

Click on the "Chat with Us" button and follow the prompts to speak to a live customer support agent who will assist you in recovering your account.

Account Suspended for Other Reasons

Log in to your eBay account and click on "Help."

Click on the "Contact Us" button and enter "Suspended" in the "Ask" field.

Click on the "Email Us" button and send a message to eBay Customer Support regarding the issue on your account.

Wait for eBay's reply. Their response will detail the steps you need to follow to clear your account.

Account Blocked Message when Buying or Bidding

Click on the "Ask a question" link at the bottom of the item's page.

Scroll down on the page and click on "Contact Seller."

Type in a message to the seller that details the "blocked" error that you got when bidding or attempting to purchase their item.

Wait for the seller's reply. Sellers will place certain blocks that restrict certain buyers from bidding or buying their item. They can let you know if these blocks have been lifted for your account and you can proceed to buy. They may also give you the specific reason why your account cannot purchase the item (i.e. you live in a country they do not ship to).

Tips

checkFor suspended accounts, eBay will usually let you know upon logging in what steps you need to take to recover your account.

checkEncountering a message that your bid is blocked does not mean your account is compromised or restricted due to policy violations. This means that the seller has set up rules on his listing to only allow particular members to bid, such as only allowing members who have a PayPal account on file.

References

About the Author

Cristina Puno started writing in 2007 as a freelance web content manager and technical writer. She writes regularly for several online publications, including her own music website, The Indie Music Database. Puno holds a Master of Science in information management from Ateneo de Manila University.